Grad. Students Protest Govt. Tenure Decisions

Thirty-nine graduate students have joined the fray over President Neil L. Rudenstine's decision to deny tenure to Associate Professors of Government Bonnie Honig and Peter Berkowitz.

Following in the footsteps of 15 senior Faculty members, who wrote a letter on behalf of Honig, two groups of former and present graduate students wrote separate missives to Rudenstine voicing their dismay over the decisions not to tenure Honig and Berkowitz.

"We expressed our surprise and disappointment at his decision and tried to characterize the loss to the department his decision caused," said Patchen P. Markell, one of the graduate students who helped organize the Honig letter.

Although neither group would release a copy of the letter or disclose the names of its signatories, both letters conveyed the professors' skills and commitment to teaching. The letters also discussed the importance of the scholar's research to the field and the department, according to letter writers.

"In this particular era of publish or perish, Peter has managed to both publish and make time for students," said Benjamin F. Berger, a graduate student who helped organize the Berkowitz letter. "He is truly rare in the way he has combined roles of scholar and teacher and excel at both."

Berkowitz is a political theory scholar specializing in the study of Nietzsche. He has published one book, and has a second due out later this year.

When asked about Berkowitz's credentials for tenure, Andrew Sabl '90, one of the organizers of the letter said, "I think the answer is on the back cover of the book on Nietzsche. Raves from Charles Taylor and Alasdair MacIntyre don't come along every day, particularly for such a young scholar."

Included among the 22 Berkowitz signatories were two former students who are now professors at other universities.

"It is not easy to find great scholars who are also committed teachers; when you do find them you hope the institution holds onto them," said Williams College Assistant Professor of Political Science J. Russell Muirhead '88.

Berkowitz sat or sits on the dissertation committees of more than half of the signatories of the letter protesting the decision not to grant him tenure.

Honig studies political theory and is one of the department's only scholars of post-modern, post-structuralist and feminist theory. She has published two books and a collection of essays, meeting one of the most important qualifications for tenure.

Although Rudenstine has not responded to the student's letter, Markell said that he hopes the letter prompts Rudenstine to explain his decision.

Rudenstine has "a longtime policy of not commenting on confidential tenure deliberations," said University spokesperson Joe Wrinn.

Fifteen female senior Faculty members sent a letter last week that asked Rudenstine to reconsider the Honig decision in light of what they saw as a solid academic record and the recommendation she received from the government department, Professor of Government Seyla Benhabib said last week.

"All of us who signed this letter are convinced of [Honig]'s academic merits," Benhabib said.

The student's letter on Honig was signed by a group of mixed gender and emphasized Honig's "amazing skills" as a teacher as well as her importance in attracting students to the department, Markell said.

"It was a letter of support for Bonnie showing that we really do care about her and support her," said Michaele L. Ferguson, a graduate student who signed the Honig letter.

Honig has been offered tenure at Northwestern University with a joint appointment at the American Bar Foundation, a Chicago research organization. Honig has not yet decided whether to accept the offer

"All of us who signed this letter are convinced of [Honig]'s academic merits," Benhabib said.

The student's letter on Honig was signed by a group of mixed gender and emphasized Honig's "amazing skills" as a teacher as well as her importance in attracting students to the department, Markell said.

"It was a letter of support for Bonnie showing that we really do care about her and support her," said Michaele L. Ferguson, a graduate student who signed the Honig letter.

Honig has been offered tenure at Northwestern University with a joint appointment at the American Bar Foundation, a Chicago research organization. Honig has not yet decided whether to accept the offer